Sometimes you’re just craving some potatoes, noodles, pasta, garlic bread or rice – we get it!! It happens to all of us!

Here’s my top 20 list of my favourite low carb substitutes that are great to have on hand and are really are just as good as the real thing, plus they’re a lot healthier and low in carbs – and perfect for dinner!

When you feel like mashed potato…

Try cauliflower mash instead! I’m such a fan of cauli-mash and it goes so well with a lot of dishes, from casseroles to a side to meat or veggie dishes.

Boil in a pot of boiling water for about 10 minutes or until the cauliflower is soft when you stick a fork in it.

Drain well, and puree the cauliflower using a stick blender to a mash consistency. Add a pinch of salt and stir in a teaspoon of butter for extra flavour!

If you want croutons to throw on your soup or salad…

Make these Low Carb Croutons! You could even bake a batch and freeze them, taking them out and whacking in the oven as you need them! Our bread lasts for 3 months in the freezer. Top your soups or mix through your Caesar salad!

What about pasta night?

It really is more filling and satisfying than it sounds! The flavour is all in the sauce. When you next make up a bolognese (or a simple tomato sauce or pesto), try zucchini instead!

You’ll need a julienne peeler (which you can pick up from most kitchen stores or online for pretty cheap), or if you don’t have one, make fettuccini with a simple potato peeler! You can also do this with a spiraliser, which gives a great result! Or, you can buy the spiralised zucchini in a packet from the supermarket if you want the convenience!

Wash your zucchini first and use the peeler to make strips, going around the outside of the zucchini. You’ll be left with the inside, which I grate up and add to the sauce (it will just melt in the sauce and add flavour and nutrients!) or save to add to your next omelette or frittata.

To cook, heat a pan with a little drizzle of olive oil and cook for about 5 minutes until the zucchini has softened. Add a pinch of salt after cooking. You can discard any liquid that has come out of the zucchini, but I like to just keep it and mix it through the sauce, even if it makes it a bit watery. Once you’ve cooked the zucchini, mix through your favourite pasta sauce and top with parmesan! Yum!

Feel like lasagne instead of pasta?

Low carb lasagne is actually pretty good!

Just swap out the lasagne sheets for slices of zucchini or eggplant! I usually roast the strips first for extra flavour, but you can use them raw, which is also a lot quicker.

Make the sauce as you normally would and layer it with slices of veggies in a baking dish and top with cheese!

Add garlic bread to go with your low carb pasta…

Try out Low Carb Garlic Bread! So good to munch on its own or paired with your courgetti, bolognese or low carb lasagne! Give it a go!

Want some focaccia to go with dips or to fill with cheese, meats and salads?

Give our Low Carb Protein Focaccia a go! Make it just the same way you would a loaf of bread but bake it in a square or rectangle tin instead of a high loaf so it is flatter!

If you’re craving crispy, crunchy fries or hot chips…

Try zucchini fries instead!

Cut the zucchini up into batons, dip them in egg wash (beat an egg and add a dash of milk), and then dip them into a low carb crumb, such as a mix of almond meal, lupin flakes and parmesan, then bake them in a hot oven until crispy and golden. ?

Baked veggie chips (radish, zucchini, carrot) with olive oil, salt and a dash of your favourite seasoning (I use paprika or rosemary) are also a great substitute to chips. OK, these aren’t quite the same as chips, but they’ll curb the salt craving and they’re MUCH healthier.

You could also make a tray of roast veggies such as baked pumpkin with olive oil and salt instead if you’re craving hot chips! Add some herbs, chilli, paprika, salt and olive oil – you’ll find they probably taste even better than greasy hot chips! While pumpkin is not technically low carb, it is lower in carbs than potatoes, and much healthier than greasy chips!

Want to try a noodle stir fry without the carbs?

Try shiritaki noodles (also called konjac noodles or low-cal noodles). The great news is they have only 10 calories per serve ? and pretty much 0 carbs (they’re made up of 97% water and 3% fibre).

They don’t taste like much and they’re a bit of an acquired texture, slightly chewy or rubbery and not quite like a soft noodle. BUT, they do soak up the flavour of the stir fry and are an awesome low cal, low carb substitute.

Try Slendier Slim Noodles or Chang Super Low-Cal Noodles which you can get at the supermarket. They can be a little smelly when you take them out of the packet, so you need to rinse them well, and you can even “dry roast” them in a pan or oven to remove the liquid which also removes the odour.

Or maybe you feel like rice instead?

Cauliflower rice is a great substitute!

Works really well on the side of a curry or stir fry, or mixed through to make fried rice.

Or maybe you feel like tacos… ?

Try Low Carb Cheese Shells or Lettuce Cups. To make the Cheese Shells, just bake rounds of shredded cheese (such as parmesan or cheddar) until crisped up. Let them hang over a wooden spoon balanced on 2 mugs or cups, and they’ll form a crispy taco shape. Then fill them with taco mince, lettuce, tomato and sour cream!

Just par-boil the chopped cauliflower, and make a cheesy sauce with cream and cheese, salt and pepper. you can even fry some bacon then add the cream and cheese! Pour over the cauliflower and bake! Yum!

Fancy a burger?

They can be just as good without the bun! Try a Naked Burger with heaps of salad, using a lettuce leaf to hold the burger.

Whatever you’re cooking for dinner, enjoy!!! ?

Let us know if you have any other ideas! ?

Author Profile

Kathy Skantzos

I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes around the time I was finishing a journalism degree in my early 20s. I have followed a low carb diet for the past couple of years after the standard dietary advice of a low GI diet wasn’t working with my blood sugar levels. If I’m not cooking a low carb creation, I’m probably at a farmer’s market, doing yoga or going for a park run, attempting hip-hop dance, reading, writing or sketching! I love Aussie beaches, Italian culture, Spanish tapas and discovering new places through travelling. I like to keep on top of health news and follow what’s happening in the low carb space, so feel free to follow me on Twitter or Instagram @kathyskantzos for my latest insights.